1. Lay Strong Biblical Foundations
Whether our thinking about business has been moulded by secular ideas, or by unbiblical attitudes from our church heritage, we need to make an honest evaluation. Many of us need to dismantle the way that we think about business and intentionally develop a biblical worldview of work, business and the economic sphere. We recommend reading the white paper Biblical Foundations for Business as Mission, blogs on Biblical Foundations and Breaking the Sacred-Secular Divide, and the book Business for the Glory of God.
2. Build on Strong BAM Foundations
We are building on the shoulders of a generation of business as mission pioneers. There have been successes and failures that we can learn from. There is a growing body of resources dedicated to unearthing BAM principles and fruitful practices. Learn from those to avoid reinventing the wheel or making unnecessary mistakes. Take time to build up your understanding of fruitful BAM practice: read stories, research BAM experiences in a particular industry, visit BAM companies, go to a BAM conference. We recommend knowing your BAM A-Z, exploring BAM Think Tank papers, reading Stories, blogs on Integration & Impact, and Books containing case studies.
3. Pursue Business Excellence
As we launch into business as mission we cannot neglect the sound business practice that applies to any business. Business startups have a high failure rate in general, BAM startups face a whole range of additional challenges. We must gain the business skills and experience that we will need to understand our industry, business model and business context. We need to crunch the numbers, do the financial planning, conduct market research, manage our risk and so on. We cannot neglect the expertise we will need to put the necessary systems in place as our business grows. If we don’t have the experience and expertise we need, we must build a team, develop partnerships, take a course, find a coach or mentor, engage a board of advisors, hire a lawyer and so on. Be committed to do business with excellence! There are loads of good business resources out there. You will find free plenty of resources via AI/internet search or at your local chamber of commerce or business advice bureau. On this site, we recommend practical blog topics in the Business & Entrepreneurship section. Need more input? Explore the Ecosystem Map or check out our directory of Organisations for Training or Coaching & Mentoring.
4. Build Personal Capacity
Jesus said, I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing (John 15:5, NIV). Right where we are now, let’s be committed to walking closely with Jesus in everything we do, growing in the fruit of the Spirit as His disciples. Prayer, ethical business practice, healthy marriage and family life, the way we relate to others, our attitude to money, the leading of the Holy Spirit, these are all essential areas to nurture and cultivate for healthy lives—and healthy BAM practice. Likewise, building the soft skills we need and cross-cultural understanding for the context is critical. We recommend articles categories on Prayer in the Business, Launching and Landing, and BAM Endurance & Well-being.
